Short bio

I'm Kevin and I am 26 years old. For more than two years, I have been living in Germany but I am originally from Marseille and was born in France. I have quite an unusual background. I was able to study like everyone else. After graduating and becoming tired of working behind a computer and looking for more human contact, I decided to study graphic design. I worked in a bakery that I managed for two years, then, still looking for myself and wanting something new. I changed my professional path several times. At one point I was a dance teacher, then I became a sales manager in the luxury ready-to-wear industry, passing through 3 training courses in security and then I worked in industry. I ended up doing voluntary work in a café in Germany. Which naturally resulted in my decision to stay in this country.
Over the years I have tried several sports and hobbies and have never stopped looking for and trying new things. Starting with swimming, gymnastics, basketball, soccer, running, calisthenics, I eventually found dancing (Breakdance and then Hip-hop). I have also got involved in drawing, video games (which I love), video editing, music composition, art, language learning and piano.

My EPALE

I first met Katrin Kuhla and the EPALE Germany team in Marseille when we took part in the LTTA meetings and gave the EPALE team some breakdancing lessons. I then became a trainer in their workshops. For me, it was a pleasure to work with them. I hope to continue our story of cooperation soon ;-)

My Story

MARSEILLE

It all started in Marseille, during my civil service trip to Germany. At Eurocircle we organised the trip and then found out about the project Can Do Refugee. We collaborated with the project in various activities, both social and educational. Their approach to new people and the activities they offered were interesting and made me see things from new perspectives. We were also able to exchange ideas and activities with each other to get to know each other better. That's when I met Katrin. We shared a lot with each other during the seminar in Marseille, when she took part as a break-dancer. She suggested running a dance workshop with the people from the seminar. This was not planned, but I liked the concept and decided to do it. Giving this workshop I was able to discover in myself a desire to share, to help people to try something new, to take them out of their comfort zone and to help them to discover new talents.

VOLOS/ GREECE

After this, I had a discussion with Katrin, who suggested that I propose a dance workshop with the organisation Can Do Refugee in Greece. The idea was to propose a dance workshop to learn how to bring together people from different cultures/histories. The idea sounded like a good fit for me, so I decided to participate. I have no regrets. Once in Greece, we met several refugees. It turned out that all the participants were male, while the members of Can Do Refugee were all female except me. As a man, I was able to socialise quite easily with the refugees. This would have been the case even without me thanks to their methods of integration.

In my eyes, my dance workshop was like the doorway between the two parties. The ultimate goal was to have a good time together and get to know each other. What better way to bring strangers together, regardless of their origin, culture or gender than through dance. I thought that none of them would dance for fear of judgement or preconceived ideas, but I was astonished to see their desire to try, from a tone of amusement at the beginning to a real desire to do it for the pleasure that it gave them. We then had other activities which allowed us to exchange more personally with the refugees. Following a request from them, I even had the opportunity to make small videos for social networks. I thought this was a great idea.

At the end, we went to a restaurant close to the event. There were set places and I was at one end of the tables with the refugees. I think they felt much freer to speak with a man of their age. They felt comfortable talking about almost any subject. This naturally allowed me to go deeper into their personal lives, which they told me about one at a time. From the most private subjects like religion, family and their experiences to the most trivial, like their hobbies and attraction for women. In my eyes, we were like long-time friends who could be told any secret.

CONCLUSION

As a result of all this, I realised that integration into any group is also about gender. This is not a bad thing in itself if it helps to bring people together and have a good time. But it is also about the energy you bring, the activities that can bring you together and give you some semblance of similarity. No matter where you come from, no matter what language you speak or you’re your background is. None of that would have been possible without Katrin and the wonderful organisation Can Do Refugee. This organisation allows you to meet extraordinary people around the world who are working for a clear and generous idea, something holy which brings joy to those who have it.

This was my account of this fabulous adventure, which I hope will not be my last. I was able to find my place in a place where I had never imagined I would find myself. For this, I want to thank again all those who took part and the organisation of course!

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